10th-century Anglo Saxon potion kills MRSA superbug

A microbiologist and an Anglo Saxon scholar decided to test a recipe from an Old English medical compendium called Bald's Leechbook, what they arrived at is nothing short of fabulous. While eye of newt is not called for, a recipe including cropleek, garlic, wine and bullocks gall – to be mixed in a brass vessel and allowed to fester for nine days – seems to have some kind of medieval magic going on. A modern-day recreation of the remedy once used to treat styes was concocted by microbiologist Freya Harrison from the University of Nottingham, who met the challenge of sourcing the curious ingredients. “Work and eye salve for a wen, take cropleek and garlic, of both equal quantities, pound them well together, take wine and bullocks gall, of both equal quantities, mix with a leek, put this then into a brazen vessel," instructs the recipe, translated by scholar Dr. Christina Le...